Review: Inherit Midnight (Kate Kae Myers)

Title: Inherit Midnight
Series: standalone
Author: Kate Kae Myers
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Release Date: February 10, 2015
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Thriller
Content Rating: Teen (rough stuff, violence, kissing, shooting - see Content Note below)
Format Read: ARC (publisher)
Find On: Goodreads
Purchase On: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
Summary:

The Competition:

Outlandishly wealthy Grandmother VanDemere has decided to leave her vast fortune to the family member who proves him or herself worthiest-by solving puzzles and riddles on a whirlwind race around the globe, from the mines of Venezuela to the castles of Scotland. There will be eight competitors, three continents . . . and a prize worth millions.

The Players:

Seventeen-year-old Avery is the black sheep of the VanDemere clan, the ostracized illegitimate daughter. Finally, she has a chance to prove herself . . . and to discover the truth about her long-lost mother.

Marshall might be Avery's uncle, but there's no love lost between the two of them. He's her main competition, and he'll do anything to win-including betray his own children.

Riley is the handsome son of Grandmother VanDemere's lawyer. As the game progresses, Avery falls hard for Riley. Suddenly, losing the game might mean losing him, too. 

As the competition takes treacherous turns, it becomes clear there can only be one victor. Who can Avery truly trust? And is winning worth her life?

*          *          *

Review copy provided by publisher for an honest review. Thank you, Bloomsbury!

Why I Read It: It sounded like a thrilling adventure!

Series: This is a standalone with a complete arc.

Writing: A little distant but engaging. Although the competition instructions could be complicated, they were clear and easy enough to follow. Good movement.

Setting: Present time in the real world, visiting several countries with a rich family for unusual challenges on their matriarch's whim. It was fun seeing the world through Avery's sheltered view.

Story: If a rich and highly dysfunctional family from a daytime soap went on The Amazing Race, you would have Inherit Midnight. It began a bit of a rollercoaster, opening with a thrilling few chapters only to slide into an infodump I almost didn't make it through. But once my disbelief was suspended about the competition, the over-the-top adventures were fun and entertaining to follow. I'm not sure if the entire end resolution was quite plausible, but it was mostly satisfactory.

Characters: Avery was sheltered but resourceful, and despite being raised by her ridiculously rich grandmother wished for nothing more than a normal life. She was determined to free herself from her selfish and abusive family, and the game became an interesting vehicle for her desperate change. Riley was a person who sought enjoyment out of every situation, which gave Avery and the book a better attitude about the competition. He was the support Avery needed, and because their relationship was a help and not a distraction I totally shipped the relationship.

Romantic Relationship: Sweet and pretty chaste. Riley was 19 and Avery was 17, which meant despite an only 2-year difference she was jail bait for him. This made for barely more than kissing and longing looks.

Content Note: Other than some rough violence, this book was clean for the most part with a relatively chaste romance and no language.

Conclusion: An entertaining adventure story with main characters worth rooting for and a satisfying ending. I would definitely recommend it for fans of reality shows (especially The Amazing Race), and soap opera families.

For Fans Of: The Amazing Race, reality shows, soap operas

Scribble Rating: 

3 of 5 Scribbles